The Two Days of a Volunteer

While the idea of volunteering in a third world location conjures up visions of helping impoverished people with their daily lives, there is another side that the volunteers go through and is often a bigger factor in a volunteers daily activities.


Volunteers are selected for specific projects in their host countries and they get given a lot of information about what their ‘job’ will be there, who they report to, what the project aims are, what miles stones are to be aimed for and what completion means. The volunteer will more than likely have gained relevant experience in the careers back home that they can knowledge transfer to their benefactors as well as help in general foster international relations between different cultures at the grass roots level. This naturally becomes the focus of the volunteers expectations once they make the decision to become a volunteer and more so once they have been assigned a definite position and location.

However there is another factor to volunteering that is often not given much attention yet is a big part of the daily life and if not paid attention to can lead to a unpleasant or even failed volunteer experience. This factor is taking the time to plan your non work time to allow you to enjoy those hours too and not be trapped in a house getting bored. On location, there is no TV to slump down in front off and instant meals to put in the microwave. Often no internet either. These can leave a volunteer feeling isolated and lonely.

Most locations are in equatorial locations where it gets dark early and bright early. Getting bright early is not a big issue but getting dark early can be quite confining. Being perceived as a westerner in a poor economy can make you a target and you will be told by everyone that it is not wise to walk around after dark. Even most locals do not walk around after dark. Part of the reason for them is that there are no street lights and once the sun goes down it gets very dark very quickly. So not being out after dark means you should be in your home by about 6:30 pm if you don’t have a car. If you are volunteering by yourself, it can mean many long evenings by yourself with little to no entertainment like TV, or internet access. If you are with a partner, then you become your partner’s main source of entertainment. Unlike back home where you go home to rest for the day after work, on location, you have to become quite active to pass the evening. One of the first things will be to arrange food for that night. Your shopping has to be planned in a lot more detail as the only store that store that sells food you are comfortable with may be a long distance away and only accessible on a weekend or a monthly trip. For fresh foods it will on some nights, mean walking or getting a minivan ride to and or from a shop or market and be home by dark. In some places that can be quite a challenge. Proper planning of meals and drinks can make for a more pleasant evening both cooking food you enjoy as well as savouring the taste. If you are forced to get local food it will probably be some bland rice, maize or similar dish with stale bread and not much else to go with it. That makes for a disappointing night.



Once home you need to cook your meals but need to have a back up plan in case the electricity is not on. Spending the evening eating cold uncooked food is no fun. Having alternate lighting options to electricity is a must. Candles and flashlights become part of your evening plans. Exciting plans made during the day to spend the evening on email contacting people who you can relate to can be dashed in a flash when the electricity goes off leaving you wondering what do I do now, it is only 7:30 and boredom is staring you in the face!

Most of the places you are in will only deal in cash, no credit card use, and you will be advised to not carry large sums around with you. This inevitably means planning your time to often go to an ATM machine or a bank to resupply with cash. Going to a bank can be a long process as all the locals deal in cash as well to transact their business. The time each person in the queue in front of you spends at the teller window can be quite long while all their cash is counted and accounted.

For those volunteers without transport or who feel uncomfortable using their own transport in these countries (as driving in some of these places can be quite intimidating both from the behaviour of other drivers and also from the road conditions) can make weekends long unless you have done the local area research and planned activities to do. Using public transport can be quite tiring. Crammed in a minivan with 20 other poor people, stopping at every stop to cram yet more people in, can make what would be simple journeys back home into long ordeals that will often get you at your location exhausted and frustrated. If the return home is via the same method then you can double your feelings. Hence taking the time and making the extra effort to plan your movements in advance can be quite rewarding. Make an effort to get to know other volunteers in your area if there are any, some may have transport and be able to offer you rides, or you can share taxies or simply have company while in the minivan can make it more comfortable.

Planning weekend outings such as lunches at local restaurants or drinks at lodges can be quite a break from the nights at home alone during the week. Being proactive to establish a net work of other volunteers or expats can lead to many a rewarding weekend activity. Plan for weekends away to other locations your budget will allow you to get to. Even if you think it is beyond your budget, ask yourself; are you ever likely to return back to visit that place once you leave your location? Also remind yourself that you came to that country to experience what the region has to offer and to grasp the opportunities now, not to wish later on when you are comfortable back home that you had taken the opportunity to step out more.

So during your volunteer experience, remember while you are enjoying your ‘job’ during the day that you have a ‘second job’ that day too and that is to plan your out-of-work time so that the whole day is enjoyable and you are not feeling trapped in an empty house at night waiting on the next day to start. Volunteering will show you the world is a big place and we have but a little time to get to know it.